The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

"You need to act quickly! I can feel the monster inside me about to break free!"

As Benjamin, Aron, and the others hesitated, Anna spoke in a weak and pained voice.

Everyone turned their gaze to Anna, only to see a twisted and terrifying shadow of a monster beginning to emerge from her. This meant that the Abyssal Monster was about to pose a serious threat to them.

Not far away, Elder Lawrence, with a cruel smile on his face, observed everything with a sense of satisfaction. He spoke in a persuasive tone, "You'd better take action soon, or you won't have any chance to stop the Abyssal Monster."

Upon hearing Elder Lawrence's voice, Aron shot him a fierce glare. He desperately wished he could kill Elder Lawrence— and in a very brutal manner.

"Looking at me with those eyes won't do you any good. Staring won't kill anyone, nor will it prevent the Abyssal Monster from manifesting."

Elder Lawrence, of course, showed no signs of fear. To him, the situation was entirely under his control. Even if Benjamin, Aron, and the others managed to come up with a way to deal with the Abyssal Monster in the heat of the moment, he could calmly retreat while they engaged with it. Moreover, in this vast building, he had numerous traps at his disposal.

Lawrence's words only fueled Aron's anger further. However, Aron managed to keep his rage in check; he refused to let his anger cloud his judgment.

He turned his head and looked at Anna.

"Don't give up hope! We can still prevent the Abyssal Monster from fully manifesting in your body!" Aron exclaimed as he pulled a pill from his pocket.

Both Anna and Nick were very familiar with this pill. The Angel Guild used it to combat the dark spells of the Night Blades. In Aron's mind, this pill was capable of countering any dark spell from the Night Blades. This meant it was highly likely that it could also inhibit the manifestation of the Abyssal Monster.

Even if it couldn't kill the Abyssal Monster outright, it could at least halt its growth.

Upon seeing the pill that Aron had produced, Elder Lawrence's expression turned even more mocking. "Do you really believe that this pill from the Angel Guild can stop the Abyssal Monster from manifesting? You are incredibly naive," Elder Lawrence's sarcastic voice echoed from the shadows.

No one turned to look at Elder Lawrence, as they all understood that his intention was to disrupt their judgment.

Aron brought the pill to Anna's lips. She swallowed it immediately, and in that instant, Anna felt the Abyssal Monster within her thrashing desperately. A painful wail escaped her lips.

"Does anyone have a way to ease the pain? Think of something quickly! At this rate, even if Anna isn't killed by the Abyssal Monster, she will die from the pain!" Aron said, his anxiety growing as he watched the agony on Anna's face.

As a member of the Angel Guild, Nick was naturally very concerned about Anna's safety. He was anxiously considering whether there was any way to respond to the situation.

Only Benjamin and Wendy remained relatively untroubled. The two of them were not as anxious because they had no real understanding of the pills that the Angel Guild possessed or the Abyssal Monster generated from Elder Lawrence's Blood of the Abyss. Lacking sufficient information, they couldn't come up with a plan, no matter how worried they felt.

Benjamin calmly observed the actions of everyone around him. He could see the urgency in the three members of the Angel Guild, while also sensing from Elder Lawrence's voice that he seemed to have other intentions.

After thinking for a moment, Benjamin finally grasped a fleeting idea. He turned directly to Aron and Nick.

"I think you should stop taking any action," Benjamin said firmly. "Because all your efforts will inevitably fail; the Abyssal Monster is going to manifest regardless."

Upon hearing Benjamin's words, Aron spun around in anger and snapped, "If you're not willing to help, then just stand quietly to the side! Don't come here with your snide remarks!"

At that moment, Nick also turned his gaze toward Benjamin. He felt that there was something off about Benjamin's statement. Although Nick hadn't known Benjamin for long, he sensed that Benjamin was not the type to mock others when they were in crisis.

Benjamin did not get angry at Aron's warning.

He spoke in a very calm tone, "The Abyssal Monster will definitely manifest, but I believe it won't kill Anna in the short term. This is all just Elder Lawrence's experiment."

When Benjamin said the last part, he briefly directed his gaze toward the shadowy area where Elder Lawrence was hiding. He finally understood the fundamental reason behind Lawrence's series of actions. If Elder Lawrence intended to eliminate all of them using the Abyssal Monster, he wouldn't need to observe their every move from the shadows nearby.

As soon as Benjamin finished speaking, the expressions on Aron and the others' faces changed dramatically. They began to consider that Benjamin might be right. Consequently, they all turned their gazes toward Elder Lawrence.

From his shadowy hiding place, Elder Lawrence let out a cold laugh. "If you truly believe the nonsense he's spouting, then by all means, don't take any action. The Abyssal Monster will soon emerge from Anna's body. Her body is about to be torn to pieces. You can only beg me, and I might consider providing you with a way to deal with the Abyssal Monster.

In reality, we are not absolute enemies; we can cooperate with each other."

After coldly observing the situation, Elder Lawrence suddenly began to persuade everyone to collaborate with him. The moment Aron heard Lawrence's words, he fully trusted Benjamin's judgment. Under normal circumstances, Elder Lawrence would never consider cooperating with them.

Aron glanced at Benjamin out of the corner of his eye, hoping to gauge his thoughts. At that moment, Benjamin let out a cold laugh. "What kind of cooperation do you intend to propose? Do you really think we would engage in a sincere partnership with you?"

Elder Lawrence paid no mind to Benjamin's tone. "Since I have suggested the idea of cooperating with you, it means I believe that you will engage with me in good faith. In fact, this cooperation presents an unprecedented opportunity for you. You can significantly weaken the Night Blades' influence through this collaboration.

Moreover, with my assistance, you can eliminate two of the Night Blades' elders."

Lawrence's words left everyone stunned. They hadn't expected that his proposal for cooperation was aimed at the Night Blades.

"Aren't you also an elder of the Night Blades? Do you really think we would easily trust what you're saying? How do we know you're not deceiving us right now?" Aron pressed Lawrence directly.

Elder Lawrence slowly emerged from the shadows. When he fully stepped into view, everyone was rendered speechless by his appearance. He was draped in a flowing crimson robe, and the only parts of him visible were his hands, which were covered in various strange eyes that constantly darted around, observing their surroundings.

Additionally, a pink glow constantly emanated from around Elder Lawrence's body. "You don't need to be too afraid. Although my body has been twisted by the Blood of the Abyss, I can still ensure that its power won't harm you."

Lawrence's statement provided crucial information. His body was also twisted by the Blood of the Abyss, which meant that the Blood of the Abyss was not the root cause of the Abyssal Monster's manifestation.

Aron quickly pressed on, "Why is there no Abyssal Monster in your body? Does that mean the Abyssal Monster in Anna's body was generated for some other reason?"

In response to Aron's question, Elder Lawrence did not provide an immediate answer. "First, let me know if you want to cooperate with me. If you agree to work with me, I will answer your question. But if you refuse to cooperate, I will not disclose the answer."

Aron felt cornered. He could only turn to Benjamin and Nick to discuss the situation. After a brief deliberation, the three of them made a decisive choice to cooperate with Elder Lawrence.

"We can collaborate with you, but during this process, you must also show sincerity. You need to eliminate the Abyssal Monster from Anna's body first," Aron stated directly to Elder Lawrence.

Elder Lawrence shook his head. "That is something I cannot do at this moment. To eliminate the Abyssal Monster within her, you will need to use an artifact from the Night Blades. This artifact is hidden in the underground tomb located directly beneath Shadow City. You must cooperate with me to enter that tomb."

Elder Lawrence's words made everyone very cautious once again. "I understand that you are very concerned. However, I must remind you that your time is truly limited. Although the Abyssal Monster won't kill Anna in the short term, as time passes, the danger she faces will only grow."

After saying this, Elder Lawrence did not press Aron and Benjamin any further for a decision. He felt that his plan had essentially succeeded; it was unlikely that Aron and Benjamin would refuse to cooperate with him.

After hesitating for a while, Aron slowly nodded. "Alright, we will enter the underground tomb beneath Shadow City with you. However, during the operation, you must provide us with relevant information and ensure our safety."

Elder Lawrence readily agreed to Aron's conditions. "That is certainly not a problem, as I will need your help to open the entrance to the underground tomb."